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Rating: 
Summary: Good Book for F. Sinatra Info.
Review: I am 75% through this book and so far it has been a wealth of knowledge. I can't say that it is all fact because each story carries testimonies from different people. However the book gives youa good idea on the type of man he was. His greatness and his faults.
Rating: 
Summary: Ultimate Sinatra Book
Review: I read it from cover to cover and enjoyed every minute of it, every page. Thorough research and an invigorating writing style really bring Sinatra to life like never before. It's gritty, for sure. But very true to Sinatra's experience. As a big Frank fanatic, I would recommend this book. I've read them all, and this is the only one that makes him seem like more than just a skirt-chasing mobster with a good voice.
Rating:
Summary: 5 STARS * * * * *
Review: Let me tell you, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. This biography is one of the most respectful, carefully written *TELL ALL* books I've ever read. This book tells you soooooo much info on Frank, it's unbelievable! It's almost as if you're standing in the studio with him, or in the middle of one of his notorious fights w/ Ava Gardner. You feel like you're RIGHT THERE. I thought I knew a lot about Mr. Sinatra, but I was proven wrong. Randy Taraborrelli (the author) gave it to you straight; he threw the whole story at you, but unlike a LOT of other books, he supplied proof to back it up. He interviewed many of Sinatra's old friends from his neighborhood in Hoboken, as well as fellow actors and musicians who knew Sinatra best. On top of all of that, there are 2 sections of black and white pictures and 1 color section. To sum things up...the author obviously had respect and admiration for Frank Sinatra, but he didn't hold back Frank's bad qualities...he let them all come out, all the while praising, respecting, and keeping Ol' Blue Eyes' memory alive!!!! A+
Rating:
Summary: 5 STARS * * * * *
Review: Let me tell you, THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. This biography is one of the most respectful, carefully written *TELL ALL* books I've ever read. This book tells you soooooo much info on Frank, it's unbelievable! It's almost as if you're standing in the studio with him, or in the middle of one of his notorious fights w/ Ava Gardner. You feel like you're RIGHT THERE. I thought I knew a lot about Mr. Sinatra, but I was proven wrong. Randy Taraborrelli (the author) gave it to you straight; he threw the whole story at you, but unlike a LOT of other books, he supplied proof to back it up. He interviewed many of Sinatra's old friends from his neighborhood in Hoboken, as well as fellow actors and musicians who knew Sinatra best. On top of all of that, there are 2 sections of black and white pictures and 1 color section. To sum things up...the author obviously had respect and admiration for Frank Sinatra, but he didn't hold back Frank's bad qualities...he let them all come out, all the while praising, respecting, and keeping Ol' Blue Eyes' memory alive!!!! A+
Rating:
Summary: Sinatra: A Complete Life Is not all that complete
Review: Sinatra:Behind the Legened (repackaged as Sinatra: A Complete Life, after the singer's death in May of 1998) has the same failings as Kitty Kelley's infamous 1986 book. There is much about Sinatra the womanizer, Sinatra the brawler, Sinatra the friend of hoodlums, but comparatively little about Sinatra the musician. Tabraborelli makes some passing references to various albums and concerts (he makes many errors by the way in discussing these), but the book is long on gossip and short on music. However, it's breezily written and contains never never published before anecdotes...highlight: the interview with Barry Keenan, the mastermind of Frank Jr's kidnapping. For those really interested in Sinatra, the musician...check out Will Friedwald's Sinatra: the Song is You and Chuck Granata's forhcoming "Sessions With Sinatra."
Rating: 
Summary: Alright book, but too sleezy!
Review: The book is written well. Its full of nice photos. However, there is far too much curse words, and attention on his sexual life, thus making the book into a 500+ page tabloid! Sinatra is a man of music, but lets not forget he was a brilliant actor as well. The book hardly focuses on that aspect of his career (the films) Instead, the author devotes much of his energy focusing into Franks love life, which I don't think should be looked too deeply. Why, because you or anybody else (including the author) would want his/her love life on the spotlight. The book would have been alot better if the author devoted his energy on taking out the sleezy jazz, and concentrate more on his films.
Rating:
Summary: Even better than "His Way"
Review: This is by far, the most well-balanced, interesting, Sinatra biography I have read. It is a must-read for any Sinatra fan, or anyone at all interested in reading a Sinatra biography. The only flaw is that even more details would be desirable (not just the "juicy" type, though there are quite a bit of that type: The details about Sinatra's romances - i have to admit, that made for some very fascinating reading!). There is hardly any information about Sinatra's music and films, but there are other books on those subjects. This is the story of his more private, yet fascinating, life. Some of it is funny, warm and sweet, some of it is shockingly barbaric, and the last few chapters about his deteriorating health are very sad. But what makes this bio different from other Sinatra bio's i've read, is the author neither comes across as an enemy nor a hero-worshipper - just a chronicler of an incredible life. Ultimately, the writer seems to respect Sinatra, as an all-too-human being. This book describes Sinatra's tremendous drive and vitality, his very tender and sensitive side, as well as a temper that had more behind it than mere brutality - he was an extremely complex and emotional man who had great difficulty communicating his true feelings, except in song. This book explains a lot about why and how those complexities developed; perhaps the most fascinating part of the book is Sinatra's long and tempestuous relationship with ava gardner - that subject, in itself, could fill a whole book. I hope that an author with the skill of Mr. Taraborrelli is considering writing a book about Frank and Ava - their story is more amazing, romantic, and dramatic than fiction! The best Sinatra biography, but it is possible that an even better one will be written someday - for now, this is the one, and an excellent read; not a dull page.
Rating:
Summary: The best Sinatra biography I've read
Review: This is by far, the most well-balanced, interesting, Sinatra biography I have read. It is a must-read for any Sinatra fan, or anyone at all interested in reading a Sinatra biography. The only flaw is that even more details would be desirable (not just the "juicy" type, though there are quite a bit of that type: The details about Sinatra's romances - i have to admit, that made for some very fascinating reading!). There is hardly any information about Sinatra's music and films, but there are other books on those subjects. This is the story of his more private, yet fascinating, life. Some of it is funny, warm and sweet, some of it is shockingly barbaric, and the last few chapters about his deteriorating health are very sad. But what makes this bio different from other Sinatra bio's i've read, is the author neither comes across as an enemy nor a hero-worshipper - just a chronicler of an incredible life. Ultimately, the writer seems to respect Sinatra, as an all-too-human being. This book describes Sinatra's tremendous drive and vitality, his very tender and sensitive side, as well as a temper that had more behind it than mere brutality - he was an extremely complex and emotional man who had great difficulty communicating his true feelings, except in song. This book explains a lot about why and how those complexities developed; perhaps the most fascinating part of the book is Sinatra's long and tempestuous relationship with ava gardner - that subject, in itself, could fill a whole book. I hope that an author with the skill of Mr. Taraborrelli is considering writing a book about Frank and Ava - their story is more amazing, romantic, and dramatic than fiction! The best Sinatra biography, but it is possible that an even better one will be written someday - for now, this is the one, and an excellent read; not a dull page.
Rating: 
Summary: silly, error-ridden, survey of Sinatra's romantic life
Review: This is one of the most disappointing biographies I have ever
read. More than thirty years ago I read Arnold Shaw's
impressive biography of Sinatra which nicely blended his
many professional achievements with the challenges of his
private life. I hoped that Taraborrelli, with this book, would build on
Shaw's work, but instead he chooses to focus almost entirely
on Sinatra's private life, protraying him as an angry
twerp. He says little about Sinatra's singing or his
acting or his skills as a businessman (no details at all on
Sinatra's founding of Reprise Records!). Oddly, when Taraborrelli does have anything to say about
a Sinatra record, he breaks into his own narrative and offers
comments that suggest that he has no idea what Sinatra is
about, briefly praising virtually everything Sinatra recorded, and then very quickly returning to a sordid, boring narrative. To emphasize an artist's personal life to the almost complete
exclusion of the professional is a disservice to the subject
and reader--imagine a biography of Hemingway or Picasso that
only talks about their romances, ignoring their books and
paintings. Although this book is graced by a handsome cover photo of
Sinatra, that is pretty much the only thing good about it.
In this case, the reader should very much not judge the book
by its cover!
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